Commission approves glass enclosures, with conditions, at 500 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.

The Richmond Commission of Architectural Review voted to approve a proposal to replace a rear addition and to enclose a side porch at 500 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, a house in the Boulevard/City Old Historic District, with conditions intended to retain or protect character-defining features.

The commission’s approval, which followed a lengthy discussion of visibility, materials and long-term maintenance, requires that conservatory windows be simplified (staff recommended removing transom bars), that the glass be non-reflective and installed on the interior side of the porch columns, and that a simplified fascia or continuous base be provided at the bottom of the proposed conservatory. Commissioners also added a condition that existing porch planters be retained or an equivalent planting strip be provided to reduce the starkness of the glass at street level.

The applicant and homeowner argued the enclosures would restore usable outdoor living space that has become noisy and dusty from modern traffic and sirens. Architect Morgan [last name not stated] said the owner and design team intended the enclosure to be reversible and to leave original material intact so the porch could be reopened in the future. Homeowner Chris Small said the porch is currently “pretty much unusable” because of noise and particulate matter and that making it usable again is important for the house’s circulation and long-term use.

Several commissioners said they were sympathetic to the owner’s desire for a usable space but expressed concern about how the enclosed porch might age: once enclosed, interior treatments such as blinds or paint would be outside the commission’s review. Commissioner Eric (last name not specified) said he was not opposed to enclosing the porch but wanted the fenestration to better reflect the house’s character — for example, narrower muntins or a more traditional steel-window look rather than large plate-glass panels.

Commissioners discussed the visibility of the porch from the boulevard, landscape screening that currently reduces visibility, and the possibility that future owners might alter the interior. Staff recommended and the commission accepted a condition that the glass be set inside the porch columns (so the columns remain visually intact) and that the conservatory windows be tall single sashes rather than smaller divided transoms.

The commission said it will issue a decision letter to the applicant; staff will review the simplified fascia detail and planting plan administratively. The approval included the agreed staff conditions plus the commission’s additions. The decision followed an earlier procedural attempt to defer the item for further design work; the commission ultimately approved the staff-recommended conditions with the modifications noted above.

The project record includes public comment letters and a letter of support from Elizabeth Castelli, former Preservation Virginia CEO, submitted by the applicant.